From the suggestion box! Fellow Ultimate Reloader reader John from New Baltimore, MI writes:

.22LR – it looks like gold, and some are hoarding it as if it were! Image copyright 2014 Ultimate Reloader

I start to wonder about people who are hoarding. Is a mindset in America today or has it been here since the GREAT DEPRESSION? Did we learn through our parents and Grand parents? You see on TV like American pickers, and I think there is a show call Hoarders it I am not mistaken. I did see someone sell about 30,000 round 22lr at Gun-broker.com. I didn’t see how much it when for. I think it was over 10 grand. I thought how much did that person really have on hand. I will to bet over 100,000 rounds just in 22lr. So finally, my question to you and maybe a great POLL question. When do think to much is to much. When do you think a survival exceeds and start to become a hoarder.

I love the show American Pickers, and my .22LR stock is down to the bare minimum, so this email got my attention! So here’s the poll, how much .22LR is too much? Want to explain your answer? Please leave a comment!

35 thoughts on “Poll: How much .22 LR is Enough?”

Re: Today’s Poll .22LR Hoarding: Is hoarding a problem? Yes. People have hoarded since depression days. The hoarding factors in play today however, are fueled by some new issues. I believe that people who have never hoarded in the past have now come aboard the ‘hoarders train.’ Due to supply issues (economic conditions, gov’t intervention, etc.) folks have developed the mindset of, ‘When it’s available, I’m buying as much as I can because I have no idea when it may be available again.’
Up until recently, many shooters bought only what they reasonable thought they needed over the short term. They figured more ammo/components would be available in a reasonable period of time so why ‘hoard.’ Now, stockpiling becomes more of a logical option. One other factor affecting supply is the number of new shooters that have arisen recently. More shooters equals more demand for product and the hoarding issue is enhanced.
We are in a different era regarding all firearms related products. The push by governmental agencies to ban many firearms has created demand hence the supply is overwhelmed and hoarding where there was none before. Perhaps reason will return when and if these factors are corrected. So far, the end does not appear close at hand.

Prior to the current insanity I would have answered in the 1,000 to 2.000 range; however, finding 22lr has become so hit & miss that you need a greater cushion today. I do a great deal of 22 target shooting, most every Thursday (and some Tuesdays) for at least 200 rounds per visit.
Add to this that I have several high end 22 target pistols (High Standard, Browning Challenger, S&W Mod. 41) in which I only shoot CCI standard velocity resulting in additional complication and aggravation.

I didn’t vote because any quantity of ammunition needed is strictly a function of use.
Example: From ’91-’93 I began shooting competitively with the 1911 platform in two calibers-45ACP and 10MM. Cost prevented me from shooting as much manufactured ammo as I would have liked and time, cost and experience prevented me from reloading enough ammo to satisfy my needs. My solution at the time was to supplement my in caliber shooting with a more affordable one. I purchased a Ruger 22/45 and bulk Federal in 550 round boxes went down the pipe at about a box a week, sometimes two. My needs at the time were for action, pin and 3 gun so target type accuracy wasn’t needed and the 36 gr. high speed HP was fine. As time passed my needs changed and I used 22LR primarily for recreation and occasional practice. I had about 15 boxes of that 550 Federal bulk left over that sat in my ammo safe until last year.
Last year a local range started a weekly rimfire league requiring both pistol and rifle resulting in 60 rds a week in competition. As this was known distance open sight target competition with scoring rules built upon a point system rewarding extreme accuracy, practice was necessary to get the most out of my 20 year old 22/45 and 10/22. I fine tuned equipment, my shooting technique, testing modifications to equipment and more all to be competitive with the roughly other 75 shooters. At the end of two 10 week seasons I had burned through 9 of those 550 round boxes after sorting them for both weight and rim thickness and another 2,000 rounds of Eley ammo at far greater cost.
The Federal bulk 550 bought in ’92 cost me $8.88 per box plus tax on sale at Wal-Mart, the Eley Club and Edge at $6.80 ea and $10.80 ea respectively. This year I am would like to shoot three 9 week seasons (spring, summer and fall) but can’t find enough 22LR at a price I’m willing to pay to do it so I’m going to shoot the summer and maybe the fall if I can stock pile enough ammo. 22LR is extremely hard to find and I have managed to acquire four boxes of Eley Match and two boxes of Lapua Rifle Match recently but enough to shoot and practice for a season at retail prices is more than I’m willing to pay and more affordable brands/levels that still shoot well enough to be competitive with the equipment I now use is almost impossible to find. Shooting rimfire ammo at centerfire prices per round just doesn’t make sense.
So, how much rimfire ammo is enough? Had I known then what I know today (that darn hindsight again) I would have bought stockpiles of different types of ammo at reduced prices by the ten thousands then. We all know how picky most firearms chambered for 22LR are and testing to determine which works best in addition to practice and match shooting is dependent on availability and cost. Cost I have realized is a function of time. How many of us would have purchased our centerfire calibers in large quantity before ’08 had we known the extremes of price increases and the lack of availability. I have been reloading since ’91 and until ’08 I used to buy powder one or two pounds at a time. Today I wouldn’t consider buying less than four pounds and price is almost not a consideration if you need it as the most popular powders are scarce. Try and find Bullseye, Bluedot, Power Pistol, Unique and many more.
If I could buy affordable 22lr today 10,000 rounds would be a starting point with totals determined only by my wallet if I intend to keep shooting. If I’m just stockpiling with no real need other than just in case of some emergency I would probably go for much smaller quantities.

I mean how many do ya need on hand. One thousand is more than enough for me since I can travel 20 mins from the house and buy more.
However with the state of our present situation with the pressures applied to supply and demand no wonder 5k is considered reasonable and not hoarding.

A .22 LR pistol is compact, lightweight, and versatile. The advantage, especially for smaller hands and bodies is that the gun doesn’t jump. You are very likely to get 5 shots in the torso of an intruder. This is a distinct advantage for the target, self-defense, and concealed carry shooter.

I have grandchildren who love to shoot .22’s, so I try to keep about 10K of them on hand so they won’t be disapointed when they come to visit. With that many on hand, I can let them shoot, and still have enough to tide me over till I can get the stash built back up for the next visit.

I think (and voted) that 100,000 rounds would be classified as a hoarder. Probably even 50,000 or 25,000. I also think that most of the supply are going to guys who sell their wares at gun shows, at extortionate prices I might add. I myself have around 2,000 rounds which will be gone within the next month or so.

I can easily shoot 300-500 rounds in a day session at my local range, which I try to visit once a week during the good weather. And the price is not so competitive anymore. So I also shoot 9mm, 40 cal, 45ACP in pistol and 223 Rem, 30-30 and some 7mm, all of which I reload when supplies are available.

I would like to have 10,000 22lr on hand, just so that I can shoot it this year. I don’t buy bullets to let them sit on my shelf. I cannot admire bullets sitting on a shelf, but I can admire holes punched through some paper. No, no, no. I want to shoot and shoot lots.

So, stop the hoarding, or buying to re-sell at high prices. Someday people will get wise and stop buying them from you because the stores will start getting plenty and you will be left with loads of stock you will have to sell at a loss. Here’s hoping.

As mentioned, I like to have a sizeable quantity of .22 LR ammo on hand so I don’t feel like I must scrimp or refrain from shooting because I cannot replenish what I’ve expended.
Sadly, there are far too many shooters out there who will stand in line st the local Walmart or other outlet well before the posted hours they’ll sell ammo just so they can buy as much as allowed (if there is a limit) then return the next time a new shipment comes in and do it all over again.
Many of these parasites BOAST how they are buying and then taking the ammo to the next gun show and selling their stockpile at GREATLY inflated prices. Some have claimed they supplement their income in this way and I find it unconscionable to say the least and down right RUDE for them to take advantage of others just to make a quick buck.
When I’ve pointed this out, I’m called every foul name in the book because I accuse them of being so disrespectfull of others while they claim they are only practicing capitalism. Seriously?!?
I can only hope that the manufacturers can start producing more ammo and saturate the market, effectively causing those inconsiderate jerks to suffer a HUGE loss, all in the name of ripping people off.
Sadly, far too many shooters are sensing some government conspiracy and will willingly pay.the exorbitant prices, all in the name of having a supply of ammo on hand for whatever calamity they suspect is coming.
As for me, I don’t have anywhere NEAR the amount of ammo in .22 LR as I’d like to have and my plinking days with that caliber have been curtailed. No longer can I take out new shooters and let them burn up my ammo without a worry. Anybody wanting to shoot now has to purchase and provide their own ammo.
For those clowns who are buying up all the ammo they can find and selling it at greatly inflated prices, I hope you CHOKE on it! Sure, you might find some unsuspecting neophyte who doesn’t know any better who will buy from you, but, personally, I think there should be a Web Site where the names of jerks like that should have their names posted. A sort of Wall Of Shame, if you will, and that should include ammo hoarders/sellers AND gun dealers, too.
Those people are the types that give a bad rap to the rest of the reasonable and responsible shooters out there and are probably just as guilty as the Anti-Gun crowd for causing this problemessage and maybe even moreso.

Just got done talking with a distributor. He said that he gives preference to the places that sell the most and lately, that is indoor ranges. He said a lot of them have sprung up and really burn thru the .22. He said that lately he didn’t have to worry about making the smaller shops happy. The indoor ranges were giving him enough business.

Ammo on hand is what you need/use…I just came back in from my shooting lane running 400 Corbon and 357 Corbon ammo thru the chrony. I then proceeded burning thru another 3 magazines thru my CZ 75 B. And this was a light day for me just because of ammo testing. Total about 100 rounds….ish.

My point is…I have now approximately 3,300 22 LR rounds on hand. I was standing in Wally World three days ago talking to a gent and three “Shirt and Tie” employees walked up with a small-ish box and I peeked into the open box and there were two boxes of 1,000 Winchester black copper 22 ammo or a total of 2,000 rounds. Because of purchase limits..I could have bought both…I bought one. And I checked the 10,000 box for hoarding but I feel with over 3,000 rounds..I may be able to start “some” serious practicing with 22’s.

I have five 22’s…three with bull barrels. I had wanted to dial the three bull barrels in since I am nearing retirement and I had planned on getting back into metallic silhoutte. But at $20.00 for a box of target 22’s…and if you can find them…that is simply too much money to lay down for ammo when it would be easy to run thru four to five boxes per match/event let alone practice.

I was curious here around a month ago about these online auctions where people sell 22 ammo…I found one (Yeah…just because someone says they are willing to pay a certain price doesn’t mean that price will be paid!)…one seller had three bricks (1,500 rounds) of CCI Blazer 22’s…really kind of garbage 22’s but what the hell. One bidder placed a bid for $225.00 plus shipping for the three bricks….$225.00??!! I bet we all walked past dozens of bricks of this brand of 22’s in the past at places like Sportsman’s Warehouse and snubbed our noses at these. I did.

I do not consider myself a hoarder…I have lots of primers and lots of lead and simi comfortable supply of pistol powder. It is not uncommon for me since the weather is improving to run thru 500 pistol rounds now per week. And I cannot even consider taking out my precision rifles this season and take in long distance shooting/practicing…not the 308’s or the 243’s or the 30-06’s! I’ve got my 300’s and building another 7mm Mag and amble magnum powder for this. But back to the 22’s…if I did not use or plan on using 22’s…I wouldn’t consider having a single box…I just want to build up enough 22’s to burn thru a couple hundred rounds per weekend without depleting all my 22’s.

Another point….if you’ve got that Doomsday Dig Yourself A Hole In The Ground Hideout Mindset and you’re hoarding 22’s by the thousands and thousands and hoarding powders/primers/cases/bullets…you’re part of the problem of the massive shortages of ammo and componets. Hint…in cause of a nuclear war or social collapse…it’s game over man…game over. So stop…but the hoarders won’t you can bet. People are hoarding because others may hoard because people are hoarding because others are hoarding so I had better hoard cause people are hoarding ammo….remember the public service ad on T.V.?…. “I DO COCAINE SO I CAN WORK HARDER SO I CAN DO MORE COCAINE SO I CAN WORK HARDER……….Ah but then there are the “Black Market Profiteers” because the hoarders will buy over price ammo cause these hoarders need to hoard ammo cause others are hoarding…I’ll stop.

POINT!!….I do not use cocaine nor do I consume any form of alcohol or drugs of any kind.

10,000 rounds of 22’s is a lot but not too extreme if you use 22’s…that is more than I want to have so we shall see.

I voted 100,000 because it was the highest number available. If you can afford it buy it. If the shit hits the fan for real 22lr will be the new dollar because most every gun owner has a 22. You will be able to trade 22 ammo for anything you need while your dollars will be worthless.

I agree but disagree. While I agree that bartering ammo in a crisis DOES make you a potential victim (if they know where you live) IF I had the ammo to barter, I doubt I would since you never know when or if you will be able to get replacement ammo.
However, again IF I had the surplus, I’d ONLY barter from a location well away from my living area and with someone who can watch my back. Still, I would NEVER sell or barter with anyone in such quantities that could be used against me mine.

I agree but disagree. While I agree that bartering ammo in a crisis DOES make you a potential victim (if they know where you live) IF I had the ammo to barter, I doubt I would since you never know when or if you will be able to get replacement ammo.
However, again IF I had the surplus, I’d ONLY barter from a location well away from my living area and with someone who can watch my back. Still, I would NEVER sell or barter with anyone in such quantities that could be used against me and mine.

The current Government has turned us on each other. In Washington they are smiling @ our desperation. We as a Country need to take back control of this situation. Not through violence, but through our voting rights. You must go out and knock on doors and take it apon yourself to promote life as we have known it. (Not what they want it to be) It’s what our Grandfathers and relatives died for…… our Freedom. Stop Hoarding. Just buy what you will shoot in the next month. You must “Stand Back”…. and see what they are doing to us. It is all part of their plan….. You decide. Or maybe it’s time to split this country into East and West America. I see no reason for the people on the East coast to tell me how to live my life hear in Colorado. But they do……. through the Money given to these Elected officials, who will say anything to get elected. No Accountability. I am a Hunter, Outdoorsman and a Proud American. I shoot two or three weekends a month. It is very satisfying to be proficient with a Firearm. I am a law abiding citizen and shoot with many of the Law Enforcement people in my Town. I would lay my life down to defend them as they would for me. Many of them feel the same as I do. Sending your Money to the NRA is a start. But Boots on the Ground talking to your neighbors and friends will have as great effect. That’s how they got control of this country. Glass Roots movement. It all starts in your Heart and home. Tried of paying high prices for ammo that your Nieghbor has 20,000 rounds of. Start voting. Stop the Movement of the liberals in this country. It’s your Country….. In it’s present state…. is this what you want to leave your children??

I probably have somewhere between 2-3000 rounds of 22 at home. I typically go through 300 rounds minimum per month, depending on how many matches I go to, at the action steel matches as I run both rimfire pistol and carbine classes. I’ve honestly taken a break lately because I would usually just by 1000-2000 and replenish it as I used it. Now with how difficult it is I hesitate to use it since it’s so difficult to replenish. I ended up voting 10,000 because that’s what looking back I would have stocked up to and felt comfortable maintaining to cover times like these. What makes it more difficult is the pistol I use tends to be somewhat picky on what it likes to eat, the M&P 15-22 though seems to be the fat kid of the two and devours anything I feed it.

I checked 10k as it is what I maintain in other calibers I use regularly. However, it is also common sense as I doubt the price will ever go down in my day.
Also, if a neighbor, friend, relative needs a brick, I will gladly sell them one at no profit.
Then, as stated by others, I train my grandkids to shoot + practice, while I explain to them the first “need” of a firearm is to defend our country against Tyranny, which is just another form of “Self Defense”.

I have about the same for my centerfires, but I got most of those back in 2007, when I got this ‘bad feeling’. I will share those with my fellow patriots, as necessary, so I wouldn’t call it hoarding.

Also, I can only afford to buy ammo in lots of 1k. Can’t afford ‘by-the-box’ prices.

The most effective way to deal with hoarder mentality is through market economics. If the price is allowed to float (up, in this case) to the proper market-clearing level, the potential for a hoarder to profit substantially from the hoarding goes nearly to zero; the good (.22 LR, in this case) will always be available to those willing to pay the price, resulting in reduction in the fears that it won’t be available (if you always see it on the shelf, that fear disappears); and as soon as the mass hysteria dies down, merchants will see excessive inventories and will face an incentive to reduce the price towards the good’s marginal cost. This has always worked, and there isn’t any reason why it wouldn’t work in this case. If the merchant makes a little excess profit in the process, so what? it’s bound to be short-lived, and the merchant’s life isn’t that easy anyway. (I’m not a merchant, by the way.)

In Australia (well, where I live) there’s no shortage of factory ammunition which is becoming very expensive, to the point that some people are quitting the sport. As an example, a box of .357 American Eagle is $50.00. Glad I reload rifle and pistol.

There’s a heap of .22lr available, but, getting your hands on new brass is akin to looking for rocking horse organic waste material.

If you want to shoot “premium” .22lr, your looking at paying $30-$50 for a box of 50.

Wait a minute. The gun grabbing politicians in DC and the states have made no noise about restricting any ammo. And why the heck rim fire ! ? There are more people getting into shooting but a normal market would readily accommodate them. This has to be a carry over from the gun buying panic of the last two years. The mindset is in place and everything has changed for the worse. Thank you Obama and Feinswine.

I checked 100K because it was the largest number in the poll. I don’t consider myself a horder. I spent the last few years working for a friend at weekend gunshows and spent those two days a week scratching my head as people climbed over top each other to pay $75 or more for a brick of 22lr. When the local Field and Stream store opened and had a stockpile of 22lr with two armed guards flanking the pallets and a limit of two boxes per customer at a near reasonable price of 29 per brick of CCI, I went in that store every day and bought my two boxes until it was gone. I sometimes brought my wife along and she bought two boxes as well but she shoots 22lr just as much as me. I have roughtly 5k on hand right now and if I see a brick at a reasonable price, you bet I’ll buy it and put it away for a rainy day. Is that hording? I don’t think so, I would call it opportunistic. 22lr is the only round I can’t reload and in my mind one of the most versatile rounds out there and for that reason the skys the limit in my opinion.

Growing up in a time when you could actually buy 22LR at a gas station on the way out of town for plinking or small game hunting, I notice that points of purchase are not as numerous as they once were. Gas stations, hardware stores, etc are no longer carrying items like this unless you happen to live in the rural Midwest. I honestly think there is some hoarding going on, but then again, some dealers that show up at gun shows are gouging shooters. I refuse to pay $75.00 for a brick of 22LR, and I refuse to pay $50.00 for primers, or $45.00 for a pound of powder. Maybe I’m as guilty as the next person, but I learned from the primer shortages of the Clinton years. Since that time over twenty years ago, whenever I happened on a deal for any reloading items such as bullets, powder, primers, or even 22LR, I’d buy it. Today, there are more people getting into shooting, but unlike days gone by, semi-auto firearms are all the rage. Sure folks want to go out and “plink” with their 22’s, but more and more they are equipped with Ruger 10-22’s and the like with high capacity magazines. Bolt action magazine rifles, single shot rifles, and revolvers are just not fashionable. It’s gotta be semi or nothing for many folks. I think it’s great that one can still buy a Ruger 10-22 for a shade over $200.00, and you can customize it and accurize it till the cows come home, but why buy one when you can’t afford to feed it? Anyway, I have maybe 2K rounds of 22LR on hand, and I rarely shoot it. I have plenty of other firearms of centerfire variety, and I normally have more reloading product on hand than most of the gun stores, so I shoot enough to maintain proficiency.

I used to just have a thousand, maybe 2 on hand. Then a couple of panics ago I realized it takes 2 years or more for supplies to return, and prices never go back down.

So slowly I bought 22 and other ammo and components over the years when prices and supply were favorable. And after Sandy Hook I ordered some from Brownells before they stopped back ordering, and took a couple of cases from Dicks before they were emptied out.

I have about 10k now. Barely adequate but enough till the next panic.

One thing: 22 can degenerate over time. Lots of duds. The worst was old Federal I bought long ago at Walmart for $7.97 a brick. I ended up selling 3 boxes on GB to someone who didn’t care.

I chose 100,000 rounds. I did so because when I was a kid and .22 ammo was both available and affordable I quite often would set up a shooting range on our property and could easily burn a 1000 rounds a day. Back then I never stockpiled very many .22 rounds, I used to just buy it as I needed it. (I prefer the term stockpiled over horded)

I still like to plink, but due to the high cost and low availability of the rounds I no longer shoot my .22 as often as I used to.

I have built up a small stockpile of rounds as they became available, but as I always feel like I should leave some rounds for the next person I haven’t built up much of a back up. I think I currently have about 2K.

I was talking to a man about a year ago and he came forward with a pretty good argument supporting the conspiracy theory that the anti-gun left was behind the shortage of .22 rounds. His thinking was that .22s are normally the first gun a young person gains any experience with and through that a love of gun sports. He thought that the anti-gun people were trying to do an end run and lower the population of gun rights supporters.

Who knows? He could be right. They have legislated all the lead foundries in the U.S. out of business.

One man’s hoard is another mans comfort level is another man’s circumstance! We shoot 22LR at each session for fam training, intro for kids and warm up. Somewhere around 1500 Rds needed for the summer but not at over .10 per round. Recently I had to buy greater volume to get to a reasonable price–below .08 approaching .03– but I was down to about 300 and several months into looking. I would think that shooting volume dictates stock but over 10K seems like a lot in the context of my use. But you know I have a Charter Arms Pit Bull that shoots 9mm Federal Rimmed Cartridge ammunition. Make a long story short they stopped making the ammo a long time ago. I’ve had many genius but uninformed recommendations to shoot reg 9MM, use moon clips, to cut down 38/357 brass, convert to a 40, etc., but my wife picked the pistol out and it didn’t seem too much to ask to expect ammunition to be available! Had I not saved brass (actually nickel cases) resolving to reload “someday” and aggressively pursue production “residue”–and getting very lucky–I would now have somewhat of a useless pistol (some would argue it was useless to start, but 5 shot 115Gr HP 1283 FPS is stout.) Somewhat alarmed by this experience, I saved all my brass for 44, reg 9MM and 45 waiting for the day I had time for reloading. Now anyone can appreciate that if you shoot regularly and save brass over an extended time of, say, 20 years, it builds up. By the time I bought the reloader and cobbled my brass together for cleaning and servicing, I had what many would consider an excessive amount, particularly for my favorite pistols (44mag and reg 9MMs.) But having come by it honestly, I have no intention of throwing away or otherwise relinquishing perfectly good brass because it may exceed some gentleman’s standard of “enough.” Also, I’m not paranoid (but that doesn’t mean nobody is after me:)) but having gone through the experience with the Pit Bull, watching primer availability issues unfold, experiencing the cost of “hazardous shipping” bs, seeing 22LR costs at least double while real availability went to nil (yes, root cause is a good issue to discuss), it strikes me we need to be a bit circumspect before we embrace the term from a simplistic numbers standpoint. But more importantly to think through the implications of the box it finesses recreational or other shooters into–and I resent the insinuation on the face of the argument of some simplistic magic number demarcating what is too much for me! So hoarding my tuckus! Free market rules! But crazy is crazy and compulsive hoarding is a very real clinical mental disorder. And as my wife says, that would be my golf hat collection:).

My two cents worth. Here in California the supply of 22lr is hit or miss (pun intended). Newly legistated background checks for the purchase any ammunition will create almost a certain shortage when fully implemented. Hoarding is now a way of life in this liberal controlled state, not just 22lr, but all calibers of ammunition. Writing lawmakers who are bent on eliminating our Second Amendment rights is now a waste of effort as these majority liberals have no regard for the law abiding citizen. At the stroke of a pen, felons are created simply because you possess a gun they don’t want you to have. Beware, the liberal agenda wants to eliminate 2nd Amendment by taking away your rights a little bit at a time.